Racist room note left by previous guest, Florida hotel says

By Michael Moore Jr. and Anna BrysonGatehouse Media Florida

Wednesday

Jul 11, 2018 at 6:30 PM

An African-American family discovered the message on July Fourth at Sarasota's Art Ovation Hotel.

SARASOTA, Fla. — The racist note discovered by an African-American family in its hotel room on the Fourth of July was left by a previous guest and was not directed at the family, according to an internal investigation by Art Ovation Hotel.

The 162-room boutique hotel, which is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection hotels, “immediately launched a thorough internal investigation” because of the “concerning nature of the situation” and, after checking the electronic memory of the guest room locks, concluded that there was no evidence that any associate of the hotel was involved in the incident.

Frank Davis, 58, the father of the family who stayed in the hotel room, released this statement to the Herald-Tribune:

“I am relieved to report that a person of interest has been identified by Marriott in the incident at the Art Ovation Hotel. The person of interest was a guest at the hotel who had been using the N-word to disparage Marriott associates and others at the hotel. The person of interest is also believed to be behind other lewd incidents at the hotel including unlawful fire alarm activation. Sarasota police have been contacted and provided with the additional details. At this time, it seems likely that no Marriott associates were involved in the writing of the note or its placement in the room. More details coming.”

Davis said that his interactions with senior Marriott officials have been positive.

“I have nothing but positive things to say about Marriott corporate staff,” he said. “Their diversity and senior management folks are truly sincere.”

Davis said that he is “still slightly concerned” about his initial exchange with management at the Art Ovation Hotel.

“I think he could have been much more sympathetic with my son in the conversation they had initially,” Davis said.

Additional findings, the hotel says, indicated that the offensive note “appears to have already been left in the room, likely by a previous occupant, when the guests checked in and was not directed at the guests in any way.”

The statement obtained by the Herald-Tribune did not specify what these additional findings were — nor did it clarify how the note managed to remain undiscovered in between guests during room cleanings.

Kara Rosner, vice president of Diamond Public Relations, a firm that represents Art Ovation Hotel, said in an email to the newspaper that the hotel does not take the incident lightly and “is taking all measures to see this through.”

The note, which read “You’re a n----r,” was discovered by Michael Davis, 27, when he was staying at the hotel on the Fourth of July. He posted the note to his Facebook and Instagram accounts, where he received an outpouring of support.

But not all of the feedback was positive. Frank Davis said that his son also received death threats.

The hotel apologized to the guests, and they were refunded the Marriott points used for the trip, as well as the charges for food and beverages, but Michael Davis and community leaders are calling for an improvement in procedures to prevent incidents like this, such as room security and employee training.

According to a previous statement, the hotel is planning on “reinforcing its sensitivity training with associates at all levels.”

A statement provided Monday evening said the hotel will continue to work closely with the Sarasota Police Department as it pursues the matter and that it understands and shares the concerns of the Sarasota community regarding recent events.

“The safety and security of our guests is of paramount importance to us, and we remain committed to providing an environment where we all feel welcome. Again, we apologize to all of those impacted by this experience and regardless of the source of this note, we deeply regret that any guests of ours had to endure this situation,” the statement read.

Frank Davis, who has long considered himself an advocate of diversity, hopes that this incident can be a lesson to others.

“There are too many people out there who want to be part of the problem and not part of the solution,” Davis said. “I hope we find a way to help those people to hold themselves to a higher standard. There’s some folks out there now who are lost and hate-filled, and it’s really unfortunate.”

Mayor Liz Alpert expressed her concern for the Sarasota community following the hotel incident.

“Although this appears to be an isolated incident, we’re deeply troubled it even occurred,” Alpert said in a news release. “We’re a community that embraces and is proud of its diversity. Sarasota hosts visitors from around the world every day, and I encourage all employers to strive to have a diverse workforce as the City of Sarasota strives to do. By keeping close tabs on any possible or suspected hate crimes, we’ll be in a better position as a community to address issues immediately and over time. Fortunately, these types of incidents have been few and far between.”

City Manager Tom Barwin assured Sarasota residents that possible hate crimes will be looked into thoroughly.

“Moving forward, all reports detailing suspected or possible hate crimes shall be sent to my office and immediately reviewed,” Barwin said in a release. “These reports will be shared with the City Commission as well as the appropriate community groups in Sarasota to continue to advance the diverse, cosmopolitan community we value so deeply.”

Michael Moore Jr. and Anna Bryson are reporters for the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune.